22 November 2019 - AzerTelecom joins the ceremony of launching the construction of the TransCaspian Fiber Optic in Kazakhstan

The official ceremony dedicated to the launch of works in Kazakhstan territory on the construction of TransCaspian Fiber Optic (TCFO) cable line through the bottom of the Caspian Sea between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan was held on November 19 in Aktau.

TransCaspian Fiber Optic is the large-scale project of laying fiber-optic cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to be implemented by AzerTelecom from the Azerbaijani side and telecommunication operators Transtelecom and KazTransCom from the Kazakhstan side.

Telecommunication operators AzerTelecom, Transtelecom, and KazTransCom signed the relevant trilateral agreement in 2018. The intergovernmental agreement “On the organization of activities by communication operators of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in relation to the joint construction of fiber optic transmission lines along the bottom of the Caspian Sea on Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan route, their ownership, and use” signed on 19 March 2019, and later approved by the heads of the states.

The cable will have a total length of 380-400 km, with the data transmission capacity of a minimum of 4-6 tb/s. TransCaspian Fiber Optic is a project of strategic importance for both countries and will meet the data transfer needs between Europe and Asia.

Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Republic Ali Asadov and Prime Minister of Republic of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin, other public officials, as well as the heads of participating in the project telecom operators, attended the ceremony of launching the construction of the TransCaspian Fiber Optic in Kazakhstan territory.

Fuad Allahverdiyev, AzerTelecom General Director, made a speech at the event underlining the importance of the project. “TransCaspian Fiber Optic will create a digital telecommunication corridor between Europe and Asia through Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. The backbone cable will include Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to the global internet map as owners of undersea cables and open new opportunities for the development of cooperation between two countries in the digital sphere. The project will also lay the foundation for the development of the ICT sector of two countries, connect Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan directly with the internet centers in Europe and allow for providing internet to other countries in the region”, Mr. Allahverdiyev stated.

AzerTelecom is the telecommunication operator of Azerbaijan and the subsidiary of Bakcell, the first mobile operator and the fastest mobile internet provider in Azerbaijan. AzerTelecom connects Azerbaijan to the global Internet network through the diversified network. The company provides a range of advanced telecom services to local and foreign companies. Currently, AzerTelecom carries out Azerbaijan Digital Hub (ADH) program to turn Azerbaijan into the digital hub. TransCaspian Fiber Optic, implemented along with other projects in the framework of the Azerbaijan Digital Hub program, envisages the creation of a digital telecommunication corridor (Digital Silk Road) between Europe and Asia.